Wh + to be

A sentence such as How are you? consists of function words only. There are no lexical items. Yet the nucleus must go somewhere. So where does it go?

If a direct or indirect wh question has the pattern wh - be - pronoun, then the nucleus goes on the verb to be itself. This need not involve narrow or contrastive focus of any kind.

(greeting someone)
^▸How 'are you?
^▸Tell me how you 'are.

(being shown something)
^▸What 'is it?
^▸Tell me what it 'is.

(hearing someone at the door)
^▸Who 'is it?
I ^▸wonder who it 'is

^▸How would it 'be | if we ^▸met for 'lunch?
That 'man over there, | ^▸who 'is he?
^▸When 'was it | that you ^▸came back from 'Canada?

If a speaker answers the question How are you? by repeating the same words back, there is normally a change of tonicity. The answer has contrastive focus on you:

🎧

〉 ^▸How 'are you?
》 Fine thanks. || ^▸How are 'you?

🎧

〉 ^▸Mr 'Smith! | ^▸How 'are you?
》 ^▸I'm 'fine Miss Jones. || And 'you?

If the verb to be consists of more than one word (e.g has been, will be), the nucleus goes on the second of them:

^▸Welcome 'back! ^▸How it's 'been?
Waiter: ^▸What'll it 'be?

🎧

〉 We're ^▸going to get 'married.
》 ^▸When's it to 'be?

The same applies in the corresponding indirect questions:

I ^▸asked her how she 'was
They ^▸told us who they 'were
^▸This 'wedding, | ^▸when do you think it will 'be?

🎧

(talking about forthcoming event) I ^▸wondered when it would 'be.)

🎧

(talking about mysterious noise) ^▸What do you think it 'was)

If the word following _be_ in a wh question of this type is a demonstrative rather than a pronoun, then the nucleus tends to go on the demonstrative. This applies whenever the demonstrative throw focus onto something (treated as) new:

🎧

(Hearing someone at the door) ^▸Who's 'that?

(picking up an unknown object ^▸What's 'this?

〉 She ^▸comes from Penmaen'mawr.
》 ^▸Where's 'that?

Alternatively, a demonstrative can be used like a pronoun, referring to something already given. In that case, the nucleus reverts to the verb:

🎧

(knocking at the door continues) ^▸Who 'is that

Conversely, a pronoun can be used like a demonstrative, focused and referring to someone new:

(pointing surreptitiously at a stranger) ^▸Who's 'she?

Again, note the difference between these examples and the corresponding sentences containing lexical material instead of pronouns. Here the nucleus follows the usual rule of being located on the last lexical item:

When 'was it | that you came back from Canada? but
Which 'day was it | that you came back from Canada?

^▸How 'are you? but ^▸How 'old are you?

There are other cases involving accenting of the verb to be in which the tonicity is not easily explained. They can be considered intonation idioms.

🎧

The ^▸trouble (^▸problem, ^▸thing', ^▸difficulty, ^▸snag) 'is that we're broke.

Here you are!

The usual pattern when you hand or show something to someone is:

^▸Here you ⤴are.

〉 Would you ^▸pass me the ⤴milk please?
》 ^▸Here you ⤴are.

〉 ^▸Could I see my ac⤴count please?
》 Of ⤵course sir. | ^▸Here you ⤴are.

〉 We ^▸need a new ⤵sofa.
》 ^▸Here you ⤴are. There's ^▸one advertised in this ⤵paper.